What He Means
by garnet eyes
Summary: A small bit of reflection while the General dilligently does his daily duties. AU implied yaoi Cloud x Sephiroth.


Title: What He Means

Author: Garnet Eyes

Archived: fanfiction. net

Summary: The importance of any one thing is completely relative.

Rating: K+

Pairings: Cloud x Sephiroth

Author Notes: I have not had the time to watch/play anything in the Final Fantasy VII universe beyond the original game and Advent Children. Therefore, I am certain there are inconsistencies between my writing and newer games or movies.

Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII is owned by Squaresoft and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

...

His little blonde had been sent out on a mission to Mideel with a group of thirds, led by one Zackary Fair, to exterminate some Mako beasts overpopulating the area. It was the first test of the little teen's strength, having been separated from his peers due to his reaction to Mako. Hojo had been gleeful to find a new experiment, much to Sephiroth's chagrin when he first encountered the tiny cadet.

Back then, the General had been certain that the boy would be dead in a week from the scientist's unforgiving nature. The meek little blonde wouldn't stand a chance and a quick check in military records showed only surprising skill with materia and mediocre marks across all other skills. While such a grasp of materia was unusual, it was worthless against the psychological torture Professor Hojo was known for. Sephiroth honestly had not expected to see the boy ever again.

He was grateful for misjudging the teen, if embarrassed after a particularly invasive day of tests that had left him drained and in no small amount of pain, curled in on himself in the confines of the separate recovery chamber. No other would have considered touching him, even in such a pathetic state, and yet several months after entering Hojo's clutches and never being seen again, the painfully thin blonde carefully picked up the SOLDIER's head from the cold ground and rested the silver-capped limb against warm thighs, slowly massaging the older male's temples. Fatigue set in as pain drained away, leaving the General feeling weak and uncomfortable under the experiment's hold. When he woke up several hours later, it was to witness the boy being carted off for more tests. Something inside of the older man lurched uncomfortably at that, but the SOLDIER kept his silence as he gathered himself and left.

Another month went by before he saw the blonde again, horribly emaciated but still just as kind, quietly caring for him in the General's weakened state. It wasn't like the scientist to starve test subjects to death. When questioned, the silver warrior's calm confusion was met with a pink blush and a few words to the tune of an appetite that wasn't quenched. Odd, and rather like a SOLDIER when the silver warrior considered it. His concern was met with subtle amusement, but the Professor did not comment and the next time Sephiroth was forced to enter the recovery room the boy looked much healthier.

The experiments, Sephiroth later discovered, were a concentrated attempt to completely recreate _him_. No one else had been deemed suitable, for lack of response to Mako, and the little blonde had a psychological edge that actually prevented Hojo from completely breaking him down. Or perhaps it was simply his comprehension of emotion and empathy that allotted the teen his buffer against Hojo. Poor boy hated needles just as much as the General now; wasn't fond of the Mako tanks either.

It was… unfortunate that the blonde had been taken before he had even completed standard training. When Hojo released him from permanent lab residency so that he might begin training, azure eyes were glowing brighter than any SOLDIER third's and he could put instructors through walls. Sephiroth, Fair, and a few other SOLDIERs hand selected by the silver warrior served as the teen's trainers and tutors. As far as the General was concerned, the boy was a SOLDIER and therefore his responsibility.

Strife Cloud was a competent warrior, it turned out. While he lacked the training to do fieldwork, he was smart about strategy and tactics and quick to adapt to changing variables. The skill with materia increased exponentially to the point that slotting the orbs became more hindering than helpful. Overall, the General was pleased that he was receiving such a capable SOLDIER.

Hojo, sneaky as the old scientist was, did not raise any objections to the silver warrior's plans and interests in the blonde. The brunette did seem ready for contention when he presented the teen's schedule for tests, but Sephiroth held his tongue and let the matter rest. Young Strife maintained a steady mental state, regardless of the probing questions and the physical torture involved in his enhancement. As long as he suffered no ill effects, the General would not pick that particular fight; however, the moment his blonde showed signs of mental and emotional strain, the head of Shin-Ra's military would put his foot down. SOLDIERs protected their own and that protection extended far beyond the battlefield. Stalemates at meetings and unceasing opposition meant nothing. Sephiroth took his position seriously for any of his men, but there would be _no_ concessions made for Strife. The boy earned all the previously non-existing empathy that the silver warrior had and it was unlikely that the SOLDIER would find another who went through the kinds of things that he had ever again. Hojo tested everything to failure and eradication. After the amount of loss Sephiroth had already suffered through, he refused to accept a failure on his part to protect another being.

The chime of his cell phone disrupted his work and the man offhandedly answered as he reviewed a report. Laughter and shouted obscenities burst forth before there was a scuffling sound and that sedate, somewhat timid voice carried over the line. Jade eyes subconsciously softened as he turned his whole focus toward the call. It was nothing more than a friendly update, although more than once Zackary absconded with the phone to rave about some impressive feat that the teen had accomplished. In a way, Sephiroth was grateful for the sapphire-eyed SOLDIER's interference; his mouse tended to leave off or downplay his own accomplishments. Plus it was unadmittedly entertaining to be privy to the verbal jousting match those two had every time the phone was snatched.

By the time the call ended, the silver warrior smiled secretively to himself and focused back on his current duties with a light heart. He was glad that his blonde could get along with the thirds so well and even more he had received no hostilities for being a higher class when he was younger and had never been in the program. Sephiroth had been minorly concerned that the SOLDIERs would rebuff the blonde since he had not endured the same trials and tribulations that they had. Fair had been assigned to lead solely because the General trusted him to diffuse any difficult situations.

It was pleasing to know that his mouse could stand on his own two feet when faced with the more daunting tasks. Sephiroth might not be ready to admit it – might never be ready to admit it – but for once Hojo had done him a favor. Strife Cloud would never have meant a single thing to the General had the mad scientist left the boy alone.


End file.
